2G scam: CBI probe abroad moving at snail's pace, says JPC

New Delhi: Members of a Parliamentary panel have expressed anguish over the "snail-pace" investigations being carried out by the CBI abroad in the high profile 2G spectrum scam case.

The CBI has informed the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on 2G that it has sent Letters Rogatory to various countries seeking details of cash flow to establish cases of criminal culpability in allocation of 2G spectrum allocation,and also allocation of additional spectrum beyond eligibility.

A CBI team with the 2G charge sheet. Agencies.

During the meeting, members of the Committee told CBI Director Ranjit Sinha that they were unhappy over the "snail-pace" progress in investigations abroad.

CBI said while cases in India have been investigated, the probe in foreign countries was still pending. The probe agency has sent Letters Rogatory, issued on April 11, 2012, to Malaysia, the UK, Mauritius and Bermuda, and their execution is being pursued with the help of Interpol and respective High Commissions, CBI said in a presentation to the JPC last week.

Letters Rogatory were issued seeking information about source of funding of certain telecom firms who were awarded the radio waves. CBI officials said they would be able to take a "comprehensive view" after receiving replies of the Letters Rogatory sent to various countries.

The probe agency said queries received from Mauritius and the UK have been answered to. The CBI could finally receive "part execution" reports from the UK and Bermuda, the probe agency said in the presentation and added that "further reports are awaited and are being expedited".

In its presentation, the CBI said detailed queries were received from Malaysia and the response to the same have been forwarded to Malaysian authorities. It said the Letter Rogatory to Malaysia has been pursued through two visits by a CBI team in the recent past.

A Letter Rogatory is a formal request issued by a competent court to a foreign court and processed by the Ministry of External Affairs on behalf of the investigative agencies to obtain information about individuals and entities.

Even prior to sending of the Letters Rogatory, the Enforcement Directorate, which is jointly probing the multi-crore rupee scam with the CBI, had approached their counterparts in countries having footprints of some telecom companies allotted spectrum between September 2007 to January 2008, on a semi-formal basis.